The Nagelfluhkette Nature Park is located in the western Allgäu pre-Alps and includes not only the actual Nagelfluhkette but also the horn group. The cross-border nature park was founded at the beginning of 2008. At 1832 m, the Hochgrat, accessible by a gondola, is the highest elevation in the area.
Regions
- Nagelfluhkette with Hochgrat (1834 m), and Stuiben (1749 m). This mountain range stretches from Immenstadt in a south-westerly direction to Austria (about 20 kilometers as the crow flies). A hiking classic here is the demanding one Nagelfluh ridge walk because of their magnificent views.
- Group of horns - It consists of the peaks of the Riedberger Horn, the Wannenkopf, the Weiherkopf, the Besler and the Ofterschwanger Horn.
places
Member communities in Germany:
Member communities in Austria
Other goals
background
The official “Nagelfluhkette Nature Park” has an area of over 400 square kilometers, three fifths of which are in Bavaria and the rest in Austria. Of the total of 14 municipalities that are wholly or partly in the area of the nature park, six are in Bavaria and eight in Vorarlberg.
The Nagelfluhkette nature park is the first cross-border German-Austrian nature park. The name of the nature park refers to the ridge of the "Nagelfluhkette", which is located in the north of the area. “Nagelfluh” is a rock that was created when primeval rivers transported rock. The transported mass was later compressed and unfolded. This process created a conglomerate in which round stones of different sizes are baked. In the Allgäu people, this rock is also called "Herrgottsbeton", because it actually has a resemblance to weathered concrete.
Due to the wide range of hiking opportunities, tourism is an important branch of business in the area of the nature park, there are a variety of overnight accommodations from hotels to holiday apartments to mountain huts. In summer you can still see traditional alpine farming in many places, some huts sell their own cheese. The Nagelfluhkette Nature Park was founded in 2008, among other things, to support the local alpine economy, but of course also to protect and maintain nature and the landscape and to develop it sustainably.
getting there
From the German side, the area around the Nagelfluhkette is generally best reached via the A 7 (Ulm-Kempten). At the Allgäu motorway triangle, change to the A 980 for a few kilometers and then leave the motorway at the Waltenhofen exit. From here you follow the B 19 Immenstadt. Immenstadt is located on the northeast corner of the nature park, and this is where the actual Nagelfluh chain begins. Depending on where you want to go, you choose the further route in Immenstadt:
- For the mountains of the Group of horns follow the B 19 a few kilometers further south in the direction of Oberstdorf and after Sonthofen leave the main road on the right (depending on the destination, you leave earlier or later).
- If you want to go to the southern part of the nature park, you drive to it Balderschwang. To do this, stay on the B 19 in Immenstadt and follow it to Fischen. In Fischen, turn right and follow the state road over Germany's highest pass (Riedbergpass, over 1400 meters) to Balderschwang. Balderschwang is signposted from Fischen, the distance is approx. 15 kilometers.
- To reach the nature park from the north, you can go to Oberstaufen drive. To do this, leave the B 19 in Immenstadt and choose the route via the B 308 in the direction of Oberstaufen and Lindau. Oberstaufen is about 20 kilometers from Immenstadt.
From Balderschwang and Oberstaufen there are roads across the border into the Austrian part of the nature park.
With the train Oberstaufen, Immenstadt and the places in Illertal (including Sonthofen, Fischen and Oberstdorf) can be reached. There are connections from Nuremberg, Augsburg and Munich, among others, if you want to go to Oberstdorf, you sometimes have to change again in Immenstadt.
mobility
Many areas of the Nagelfluhkette Nature Park are only accessible to hikers and cyclists. In some areas there is public transport (sometimes also for hikers). Many streets are closed to normal car traffic.
Tourist Attractions
The Nagelfluhkette Nature Park is first and foremost an excellent hiking and partly skiing area. Well-known summit destinations are the entire Nagelfluh chain, the mountains of the Hörnergruppe and the mountains around Balderschwang. The places in the nature park also have one or the other sight to offer.
Hochgratbahn
The four-person small cabin lift leads from 856 m to 1706 m to the summit region of the mountain range. In winter you can go skiing or snowshoeing here, and in summer the mountain station of the cable car is a good starting point for hikes.
It takes about half an hour to walk to the Hochgrat (at 1832 m, the highest elevation in the nature park and the Nagelfluh chain) from the cable car mountain station.
If you walk down the road in the area of the cable car you will pass the "Ureibe von Steibis" (see below).
Access to the railway is via Oberstaufen. Further information: www.hochgrat.de
Rub at Steibis
The old yew tree stands on an alpine meadow on the road to the mountain station of the Hochgratbahn. The Ureibe can be found at 1070 m above the Lower Lauchalpe (at 47 ° 30 ′ 0 ″ N.10 ° 3 '6 "E). The conifer has a hollow trunk about 5 meters in circumference. The tree is in good shape for its age. This can be seen among other things. on the leafy crown. According to Wikipedia, the age of the tree is approximately Estimated 600 - 800 years.
Old yew from Balderschwang
Perhaps the oldest tree in Germany stands 1150 m above sea level on an alpine meadow about a kilometer northeast of the center of Balderschwang. The tree can be found when you take the path to the Upper Socheralpe or the Lower Balderschwanger Alpe. The natural monument stands on a meadow a little above the path 47 ° 28 ′ 6 ″ N.10 ° 6 ′ 55 ″ E. The tree is thought to be between 800 and 1500 years old. Further information about the tree can be found in the Wikipedia article "Old yew from Balderschwang" to find.
activities
hike
The Allgäu Flower Mountains offer numerous moderate mountain hiking options. The nature park is an ideal area for families with children and mountain hikers who are not so afraid of heights. Cable cars such as the Hochgrat, Mittag and Hörnerbahn bring you quickly to the summit regions. Advanced skiers will also find challenging things to do in the area, for example the Nagelfluh ridge hike.
Nagelfluh ridge walk
The 6- to 7-hour course is popular Nagelfluhgrat hike from the mountain station of the Hochgratbahn to the mountain station of the Midday orbit at Immenstadt. For the high alpine mountain hike, you need appropriate footwear, fitness, surefootedness and a head for heights. The starting point is the Hochgrat, which at 1832 m is the highest point in the Nagelfluhkette. From here the approximately 14.5 km long summit route leads, among other things, over the 1749 m high Stuiben and the 1822 m high Rindalphorn, the second highest peak in the chain. On the demanding, but well-traveled summit tour, about 1240 meters of ascent and about 1530 meters of descent have to be mastered from the mountain station of the Hochgratbahn to the mountain station of the Mittagbahn. Since you practically always walk along the ridge, you have numerous beautiful views of the on the way Allgäu, into the group of horns and far into the Alps. If you want, you can shorten the route and descend into the valley on the way.
Danger: There are no places to stop for refreshments along the way along the entire route. Be sure to take enough food and, above all, liquids with you. In uncertain weather conditions (thunderstorms) one should not tackle the exposed hike.
Two day hike: If you want to complete the hike without climbing aids, it is best to spend the night in the Staufner Haus. The DAV hut is located at an altitude of 1634 m in the area of the mountain station of the Hochgratbahn. Info: www.staufner-haus.de.
Alternatively, you could take a detour from the route and once on the Alpe Gund stay overnight (location: 47 ° 31 '25 "N.10 ° 9 '54 "E). This hut is located in the basin northeast of the Stuiben; to reach it, keep to the left in the depression between Sederer and Stuiben and descend for about 20 minutes to Alpe Gund (1500 meters). The next day you can either walk back to the Stuiben or skip the Stuiben and climb a little further east in the direction of Steineberg.
Nagelfluhkette: From Immenstadt to the Stuiben
An almost classic tour leads from Immenstadt (728 m) with the Midday orbit at noon (1451 m), then on via Bärenkopf and Steineberg (1660 m) to the Stuiben (1749 m). Surefootedness and a head for heights are required between Bärenkopf and Stuiben, in some cases there are short rocky sections with wire rope protection! From Stuiben you can return to Immenstadt through the Steigbach valley. On this tour, too, you can enjoy a wonderful view in all directions over a distance of several kilometers. The hike takes about 4.5 to 5 hours (plus almost 30 minutes of ascent).
Since the ascent at lunchtime offers little variety and runs over long distances on driveways, the use of the cable car is recommended. At the summit station, head west towards Bärenköpfle; the wide hiking highway is not to be missed. From the Bärenköpfle the path narrows to a steep path and you climb up the eastern flank to the stone mountain wall. A short climbing section below the summit mentioned in some hiking guides is no longer accessible since a landslide (the normal route running parallel is not affected), the summit ladder can be bypassed. From Steineberg keep to the west on the ridge and follow the signs towards Stuiben. After a gully with a view of the Stuiben, you can keep left and continue to follow the ridge or go straight down to Alpe Gund and thus significantly shorten the tour. If you go on to the Stuiben, there is a longer section on the ridge and then the actual Stuibenostgrat, which (like some of the previous sections) is secured by wire rope and which is the trickiest part of the tour. From the Stuiben (in good weather you can see Lake Constance) you descend westwards and turn right in the depression in front of the Sedererstuiben and take the hiking path first, then the road. If you want a forest and meadow descent, you shouldn't follow the road at Alpe Gund (as described in many hiking guides), but turn right to Alpe Gund. After the Alpe, follow the path straight ahead in the direction of Immenstadt (on the right you would climb back up to the Steineberg) downhill through the forest and across meadows, past the rear Krumbachalpe. This path is less traveled and more beautiful, but also steeper and in places slippery. You return to Immenstadt via the Steigbachtal.
Nagelfluhkette: Via the Brunnenauscharte on the Hochgrat
A quiet and little-traveled tour to the High ridge starts at the valley station of the cable car (chargeable parking lot). Here, too, surefootedness, a head for heights and a good level of fitness are required, the difference in altitude of the tour is approx.
At the valley station of the Hochgratbahn, keep on the road heading east and stay on this road until you pass a chapel and a small stream. Then keep to the right at the Hinteren Simatsgundalpe and follow the signposted hiking trail up the mountain. The ascent is relatively steep, but always offers beautiful views and beautiful nature (location of the path: 47 ° 30 '14 "N.10 ° 5 ′ 19 ″ E). After the dilapidated Brunnenaualpe you come to a basin, at the back of which you climb steeply through rocky terrain over serpentines and sometimes with insurance. In some maps this section is marked as a via ferrata, but you can walk the section without any problems with good mountain hiking equipment; Via ferrata equipment is not necessary. The ascent leads to the Brunnenauscharte; Keep to the right here and follow the ridge path westwards to the Hochgrat. From the Hochgrat the path continues west to the mountain station of the railway. If you want to protect your joints, you can make a detour to the next summit of the chain, the Seelekopf, and then take the train; Alternatively, you can choose one of the signposted descent routes back to the valley at the mountain station (or even descend west of the Seelekopf).
If you make the detour to the Seelekopf and then take the Hochgratbahn, you can expect a duration of 4.5-5 hours of pure hiking time (of which approx. 45 min - 1 hour for the detour to the Seelekopf) Hochgrat from directly into the valley, you need a little longer.
Alpine skiing
- Grasgehren ski area - The area is east of Balderschwang at the Riedbergpass. With an altitude between 1400 - 1800 m, it has 10 km of slopes (4 km of snow-making). 4 T-bar lifts and a chairlift are available for downhill skiers and open up the area. For more see www.grasgehren.de
- Hochschelpen / Riedberger Horn ski area at Balderschwang - Two chairlifts and three larger drag lifts open up a total of 30 km of slopes (12 km with artificial snow). There are five practice lifts for beginners and children. For more see www.liftbetriebe.de
- Ofterschwang-Gunzelsried ski area - The area between 864 m and 1406 m high has 18 km of slopes. 9 km of this can be covered with snow. 2 chairlifts and 3 drag lifts are available as lifts. For more see www.go-ofterschwang.de
- "Hörnerbahn" ski area at Often swing - There are 20 km of slopes between 892 m and 1667 m altitude. 12 km of the slopes can be covered with snow. Ascent aids: a six-seater gondola, a chair lift and three drag lifts. For more see www.hoernerbahn.de
- Ski area on the Hochgrat at Oberstaufen - For information, see www.hochgratbahn.de
- Ski area on the Mittagberg at Immenstadt - For information, see www. Mittagbahn.de
- Ski and toboggan area "Alpsee-Bergwelt" at Immenstadt - For information, see www.alpsee-bergwelt.de
miscellaneous
- Nordic skiing - In the high valley of Balderschwang, snow is guaranteed Groomed trails.
- Mountain biking
kitchen
nightlife
security
climate
An up-to-date look at the weather situation in the alpine area shows the Webcam at the mountain station of the Hochgratbahn at 1708 m.
literature
- Compass hiking map "Bregenzerwald-Westallgäu" on a scale: 1: 50,000 - the map covers the entire Westallgäu up to Lake Constance. In addition to hiking trails, cycling routes and ski tours are also listed. Dates of the edition from February 2009: ISBN 978-3-85491-003-9 , Format: 19.2 x 11.8 x 1 cm, Price: 7.50 euros.
- Photo book "Nagelfluhkette Nature Park" with 373 partly double-sided pictures. Data of the hardback edition from July 2009: 224 pages; Format 25 x 30 cm with dust jacket; ISBN 978-3-931951-41-2 ; published for 44.80 euros by the Hephaitos publishing house. New price since January 2011: 24.80 euros
Web links
- http://www.nagelfluhkette.info - Official website of the Nagelfluhkette Nature Park
- Administrative community "Hörnerdörfer" - official website for Balderschwang, Bolsterlang, Fischen, Obermaiselstein and Ofterschwang.
